


Mist Ninja

by Valentine20xx



Category: Ranma
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21578995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valentine20xx/pseuds/Valentine20xx
Summary: Disclaimer: Ranma Nibbunoichi © Rumiko Takahashi/Shonen Jump, and is used without permission.The Ranma fandom was one of the most toxic fandoms going, not helped by the early fandom being dictated by people like Skysaber, a particularly virulent author in modern times,  or the fact the anime has some minor characterization issues itself.In many stories, to this date, Ranma is depicted as an idiot savant, soaking up martial arts like a sponge, but not having a clue over anything else...Akane is depicted as terrible at everything, with her cooking being able to be so bad, it develops rudimentary intelligence...Xianpu is treated as being a uneducated idiot who attacks first and thinks... eventually, backed by an Amazon Law book that has more clauses than is practical or logical...Ryoga is treated as a magic annoyance, being able to find Ranma anywhere in Japan if Ranma is otherwise isolated...Ukyo is treated as being as uncouth as Xianpu. with many 'jokes' being about the two of them going to war over which meal Ranma eats...and finally, when anything is going right for Ranma, one of the above ruins it, but if it's going wrong, no-one helps, and Ranma's side is never heard on anything...This is prevalent throughout the entire fandom.Kasumi Tendo, however, is an odd case, in that she's a footnote.Outside of one or two situations, you could rewrite the entire story of Ranma, sticking to canon, and write her out almost completely, with the writer themselves discreetly putting her to one side just to focus on Akane, her few major appearances being merely to set up the next part of the plot, a role which can be filled by practically anyone.Outside of Ranma, Kasumi is almost unheard of, compared to Kikuko Inoue's other roles, with her work of the time defined by Belldandy more often than not, with many Ranma stories featuring less than subtle jabs at how Kasumi sounds like Belldandy.Even within fanfiction, Within a series where the vast majority of the cast are well known and extensively written about, Kasumi's most notable trait is that she keeps things running, and many writers forget about her outside of using her as a walk-on role when a scene is in the Tendo home.Her problem is easily summed up in the initial story title, Acknowledged, But Never Seen, and the common fandom reaction to her is summed up by the first chapter's title. Well, challenge for you...Read one page of random Ranma stories, specifically disallowing Kasumi as a major character, due to the fact shehasto appear… and try to spot her.
Relationships: Saotome Ranma & Tendou Nabiki, Saotome Ranma/Tendou Kasumi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	1. Acknowledged But Never Seen

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Ranma Nibbunoichi © Rumiko Takahashi/Shonen Jump, and is used without permission.
> 
> The Ranma fandom was one of the most toxic fandoms going, not helped by the early fandom being dictated by people like Skysaber, a particularly virulent author in modern times, or the fact the anime has some minor characterization issues itself.
> 
> In many stories, to this date, Ranma is depicted as an idiot savant, soaking up martial arts like a sponge, but not having a clue over anything else...  
> Akane is depicted as terrible at everything, with her cooking being able to be so bad, it develops rudimentary intelligence...  
> Xianpu is treated as being a uneducated idiot who attacks first and thinks... eventually, backed by an Amazon Law book that has more clauses than is practical or logical...  
> Ryoga is treated as a magic annoyance, being able to find Ranma anywhere in Japan if Ranma is otherwise isolated...  
> Ukyo is treated as being as uncouth as Xianpu. with many 'jokes' being about the two of them going to war over which meal Ranma eats...  
> and finally, when anything is going right for Ranma, one of the above ruins it, but if it's going wrong, no-one helps, and Ranma's side is never heard on anything...  
> This is prevalent throughout the entire fandom.
> 
> Kasumi Tendo, however, is an odd case, in that she's a footnote.  
> Outside of one or two situations, you could rewrite the entire story of Ranma, sticking to canon, and write her out almost completely, with the writer themselves discreetly putting her to one side just to focus on Akane, her few major appearances being merely to set up the next part of the plot, a role which can be filled by practically anyone.  
> Outside of Ranma, Kasumi is almost unheard of, compared to Kikuko Inoue's other roles, with her work of the time defined by Belldandy more often than not, with many Ranma stories featuring less than subtle jabs at how Kasumi sounds like Belldandy.
> 
> Even within fanfiction, Within a series where the vast majority of the cast are well known and extensively written about, Kasumi's most notable trait is that she keeps things running, and many writers forget about her outside of using her as a walk-on role when a scene is in the Tendo home.  
> Her problem is easily summed up in the initial story title, Acknowledged, But Never Seen, and the common fandom reaction to her is summed up by the first chapter's title. Well, challenge for you...
> 
> _Read one page of random Ranma stories, specifically disallowing Kasumi as a major character, due to the fact she **has** to appear… and try to spot her._

There are several things that are considered to be unwavering cosmic truths in the modern universe, like the Earth orbiting the Sun, the Moon orbiting the Earth, and the Cubs have one of the worst World Series records in recent history. Within Furinkan, local gossip and rumour mills have come to find that there are some things which can be considered unequivocally true about Soun Tendo and his family.

The youngest of his two daughters, Akane Tendo, was very much his protege and legacy, and likely could have been the bedrock that would support his style well into the next millenium… If he actually decided to teach her more than he had, her techniques becoming increasingly predictable.

Nabiki Tendo was her older sister, and the greatest information broker outside of Yakuza contacts within the city, and a rumour had put her as a junior member of the local Yakuza. If you wanted to know the private thoughts of anyone who was on her books, she'd sell it to you for a steep, but fair, price, and likely would be doing so well into her senior years.

However, a rumour that had spread in recent years was that Soun had three daughters. The only proof of her existence came when you needed something. You wanted a cup of tea when you were thirsty, one appeared seemingly out of nowhere. You needed to borrow an umbrella when it rained, you found it in your hand when you were leaving, and warm coats were hung up when they weren't there before. In fact, several people had come and gone from the Tendo home, and every single one of them swore they'd only seen three people, Soun and his two daughters, in the house.

In fact, it had took a week before anyone realised their mother had died, because of a similar issue, in that no-one could remember him having a wife, but the fact he had children, that were not adopted, told them he did, as well as a gravestone which was marked simply 'Mrs. Tendo', as part of the requests in her will. For her to have a first name would mean acknowledging that she had existed, and that was the difficult part. And that would have been the status quo if it hadn’t had been for a peppercorn payment made to Nabiki Tendo...

Long before the fateful day, Nabiki sighed as she looked round the house. There was not one picture of her mother anywhere in the house. Soun had, respecting her final wishes, been the only person to see her body to confirm she had died. Otherwise, due to a strange quirk of her mother's, there was no way to tell what she looked like. This aversion to leaving a lasting image extended to her oldest sister, who had managed to perfect the ability to blend into her surroundings to the point that what Nabiki was about to do was akin to disrespecting the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The key she was holding was not meant to be used, partially since the one time it was used, by Akane, the resulting meal was politely declined and Kasumi made herself known, in order to let Akane know that if she ever touched the spice rack in the kitchen again, she would not be responsible for her actions, and partially since the room was not opened, per se, between the hours of 7am and 10pm, except when Kasumi was sick, which rarely happened, or grocery days, and she'd overheard Kasumi consider having them delivered direct to the kitchen.

Nabiki entered the kitchen, feeling Kasumi's eyes look upon her, and looked towards her. The one thing she did note for further research was that Kasumi also had brown hair, and considered a paternity test for Akane. She also noticed she was nursing a cup of green tea, since she was relaxing, since there was no meals planned for the next hour at least. The last thing Nabiki noticed was the steely reproachful glare directed as her as Kasumi took a sip from her cup, pausing before she spoke.

"You do not enter the kitchen," Kasumi stated, pointing to the serving hatch, "I will open it when I am ready. You have no right to invade my privacy..."

Nabiki winced. Kasumi kept a tight rein on the jobs, and they were always done with precision and without prompting, usually before anyone even mentioned that it was needed. She had an almost extra-sensory ability to do things before anyone knew they had to be done. Nabiki was intruding, and both of them knew it. But she had to ask.

"So, How do you do it?" Nabiki sighed, ignoring the withering gaze, "You could make a killing, helping me out with the really difficult surveillance jobs, observing the more paranoid ones..."

"And then there is Happosai..." Kasumi quipped, before she stated, "I could do so, but there will be a time and place for it, and… as usual… this is not it… Do you remember Mother?"

Nabiki swallowed. She was in deep trouble. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall the woman who had given birth to her, only to shake her head in defeat. She knew as much about her as she thought Kasumi did, and the only clear thing that she got was that she was brown haired too. Definitely something to look into. Dominant genetic traits and all that...

"It's odd, isn't it?" Kasumi finished. Nabiki frowned. She'd hit one of the major things that had annoyed her about the time after her mother died, and that was the fact she wasn't a fixture in her memories. If Akane was every bit their father, Kasumi was every bit their mother. Soun had no pictures of their mother, or Kasumi for that matter, and his memory of her was fleeting at best. She made Kasumi seem noticeable in comparison. A ringing sound caught her hearing. 100-yen, 1970 pressing, barely handled.

"Before you even quote me on it, this will be the price of that piece of advice for now..." Kasumi stated, "It will become a very valuable coin in the future… Not because of what it is, but what it will cause to happen..."

Nabiki picked it up, nodding before leaving. A few days later, she noticed a card placed by the kitchen door, telling them that the locks had been changed and the emergency key moved. She studied the coin short of cutting it open. It was an unremarkable coin, from around when Kasumi was born, and there were no markings on it in any way. She only knew which coin it was because it still shined like when it was first minted. Barely handled indeed. Nabiki sighed. It would be several weeks before...

She then swore. That's why it was valuable. Because it had set a dangerous and risky precedent with her sister. Kasumi didn't go out of her way to bring notice to herself, but, whatever her angle was, there and then, she'd set up the coin that was, and Nabiki knew it, going to tip the balance. Years later, after the smoke had cleared over what happened when she used it, she wished she'd never gone into the kitchen and had never accepted the coin. Kasumi hadn't brought notice to herself by accident. Everything over the following years…

Kasumi had set into motion without ever being seen, and all with a seemingly worthless coin. She hadn't needed to do anything. What happened due to that coin destroyed a good few lives. When she was a lot older, she wondered if her sister had known, had somehow known about the curse, the engagement, everything before that day ever began… and seriously, seriously, wondered why Kasumi had a coin, practically unused, from the time around when she was born, and came to a realization…

She'd been given it by Mother, and then it all came to her. Why would Kasumi leave the key out where it could be found if Akane had been banned from the kitchen, unless she’d been categorically told to keep hold of that coin, and leave the key out, until a particular moment?

**THE PRESENT DAY**

Soun Tendou looked apprehensive as he read the postcard. Even before he opened his mouth, the tea was out, and the kitchen hatch was open. He summoned Akane and Nabiki, knowing Kasumi would join them as and when she was needed. The fact he'd not even opened his mouth was not mentioned.

"An old friend will be arriving shortly, as part of an alliance between our two houses, hoping to use a union between his family and our own, since we are no longer in our prime, and the future of the Art must be secured..." Soun began, for a voice he had not expected to speak up.

"I presume then that it will be Akane who will be our representative," Kasumi offered, "His heir with your own. A mutually beneficial arrangement..."

Nabiki fingered a certain coin, wondering what Kasumi's angle was. She'd pretty much interrupted, something she did not do, to push the engagement, even if Soun didn't say the word, straight into Akane's lap. Nabiki cursed. She didn't know why, but something was urging her to act. Maybe it was the fact Kasumi had nipped the engagement in the bud. She was doing it again. Steering the conversation away from herself skilfully and discreetly. Nabiki only noticed since she was expecting it.

"Very much so..." Soun began, for there to be a commotion at the door, a panda carrying a red haired figure to come in, the panda dumping the figure, the Tendos having only a few moments to see it was a girl before the remains of the kettle's contents 'accidentally' spilt all over them, revealing an aged man and a much better defined and rugged young man. Nabiki contemplated the young man, and mentally sighed. Why did she have to do what she was about to do with eye candy that good?

"Who threw that water at me!?" The boy snapped, Nabiki blinking owlishly as she focused on what was going on. Again, Kasumi had acted without prompting, and in a most curious way. First, she'd pre-empted the engagement, and now she dealt with the Saotomes' transformation without prompting. Nabiki then realised. The tea was already laid out when she got downstairs, but no-one had asked for it. But Kasumi had needed the kettle...

"Before we deal with that, What exactly caused..." Nabiki offered, for the boy to scratch the back of his head as Soun greeted the man warmly.

"I have a Jusenkyo curse… Turns me into a girl when I get hit by cold water… The annoying thing is that rain isn't often hot water..." He stated, holding up the kettle, for it to be taken by Kasumi as she walked past, heading towards the kitchen. Well, Nabiki presumed the kitchen. All she knew was that the kettle vanished, it’s job done.

"My sister..." Nabiki began, sighing, "...who has disappeared again…"

"Huh?… You mean..." The boy began, looking round, "Damn, I remember giving someone the kettle, but..."

"If you see my oldest sister, let me know… and I mean IF you see her..." Nabiki stated, flipping the coin through her fingers, "She's called Kasumi, and she does the cooking and odd jobs. The annoying thing is… She's managed to perfect being able to do them without earning anything but the minimum acknowledgement..."

"So? I bet you that I could find her..." He scoffed, "How hard could it be?"

It then hit her like a ton of bricks. This was her angle. This had always been her angle. This was what she was playing at, What she’d been messing with her about. Well, two could play that game...

"Soun, about the engagement..." Nabiki smirked, as the coin fell to the table with a ringing sound, which went silent as the coin vanished, "I think that Kasumi would be perfect..."

"I accept, with certain conditions..." Kasumi stated, as, for the first time in over a decade, they bore witness to the oldest Tendo sister. The boy, now clearly the Ranma mentioned in the postcard, lingered in his observation of Kasumi. She was definitely pretty, and part of him felt that the fact she had managed to remain almost completely unseen for so long was a crime against nature. Some water then was flung at him, changing him back into a girl. As Ranma wrung out her top, she glared at her. Oh yes, and she was an expert at not getting noticed when she did something. She should have remembered that.

"The conditions are related to that foolish bet you made, Sister…" Kasumi stated as she dropped the coin into a small purse she got out, "If you win, I will marry the boy known as Ranma Saotome. However, until then, you will be part of an experiment. I have some simple clauses for you on the nature of the bet… Ones which will make it so much more… enjoyable for myself..."

"What… What kind of clauses?" Ranma asked, the ghost of a smile crossing Kasumi’s lips.

"Firstly, If you are able to bring notice to me, not acknowledge me, excluding within my bedroom, as well as when I am doing the chores, you win, However, until you do so, you must remain as a girl, and go through tasks as a girl." Kasumi began, "Secondly, You will be staying in the room opposite me, and join me in my morning routines. You may give up the challenge at any time by completing one day of my duties alongside me, upon which you forfeit your gender permanently,"

Nabiki winced. The first clause quite literally put the onus on Ranma to spot her when she was relaxing or otherwise not bringing attention to herself. However, if she fell into the black hole that was Kasumi's routine, he would not be coming out. Literally. Ranma Saotome would vanish along with their sister, and neither he… nor she… would be truly seen again.

"So, If I do… notice you?" Ranma asked, “Really notice you, not just acknowledge your presence?”

"I will be your bride..." Kasumi conceded, "However, you must notice me. Even greeting me as I enter counts, but remember… 'Noticing' me coming in with the food from the kitchen and cleaning up the house, or even waking you up in the morning, is an acknowledgement of my services… and be aware that the only way to cheat, by following my routine, would also put you at risk of the second clause..."

Ranma winced. She'd cut off the easy methods of doing the task. Both him and Nabiki were mentally cursing her way of putting the challenge rules. If Ranma turned into a girl and joined Kasumi in her duties, even involuntarily, for one full day, it would fail the challenge, but that was also the only way to 'see' Kasumi outside of brief acknowledgements.

"Ranma could easily acknowledge her, from noticing that she did something, and even that doesn’t help… but what he needs to do is be able to notice her before she's done something..." Nabiki stated, "No-one in the house can do that..."

"OK, So, when does this..." Ranma began, then blinked as he looked at the empty chair where she'd been sat, "Where the hell did she go now?"

"Story of our life..." Akane stated, "So, Want to spar?"

“Sure...” Ranma offered, and everything returned to normal. Or almost normal...

After the sparring session, Ranma soaked in the furo, the challenge almost forgotten.

"Your room is the second from the last, I have laid out some clothes for you," Ranma heard as he got out of the bath, responding with a near-automatic, "Thanks Kasumi!" before cursing under his breath.

A rinse with the cold water bucket, and 'she' was heading down to the room, noting the door just next to it had a duck on the door marked 'Kasumi'. Ranma looked at the room where she'd been assigned, and frowned. It said 'Ranko', instead of 'his' name. Deciding it was another thing she'd have up with Kasumi when he got to her, he went into the room, and walked out a few minutes later, her mood frigid.

"Nice outfit..." Nabiki called, for Ranma to glare at her, "She's in the kitchen."

Ranma glared at Kasumi, who fussed slightly over the way he'd put the outfit on, wondering why Kasumi was not even trying to hide herself, until she realised that this was Kasumi's domain, and a room he, or she, shouldn't enter too often.

"It's a girl's room..." She snapped.

"And you're a fairly cute girl… You'd do better with longer hair, maybe a braid..." Kasumi mused, "Hmm… Dragon's Whisker… That's so useful… Please let it grow out a bit..."

Once she'd come out of her chat with Kasumi, Nabiki looked at her.

"What she is doing is dangerous, Ranma..." Nabiki stated, "Kasumi has evaded every attempt to observe her, partially since she has no known pictures to work off. You are the first person she openly allows past even that first layer of obfuscation,"

"What are you getting at, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.

"You are an unknown variable in the house..." Nabiki stated, "And how you have been accepted into it has set a very dangerous precedent for my sister..."

"How so?" Ranma continued, curious about what Kasumi's sister had to say.

"You're… interesting," Nabiki stated, "Kasumi contacted me, something she doesn’t do, while you were getting cleaned up, and asked about ways to lock the curse… and it wasn't hard to find one. She told me to keep it for when you need it. She has a long-term plan for you, Ranma… and I don't know what it is..."

Ranma walked off looking pensive, as she considered how a lot of what Nabiki had said made sense. What was Kasumi's angle? And why did it involve her being a girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the subject of Akane and Genma, their roles are ancillary and, with Genma, a necessary evil and nothing more. Akane has no interest in figuring out what Kasumi is playing at, and Genma is pretty much as clueless about what is happening as everyone else. The early storylines will see Akane's problems cross into Ranko's life, but only since she'll observe them as a spectator, but the story isn't about her. It's about Ranko, discovering quite how much power having control over her life really has...  
> And who Kasumi _really_ is...


	2. Now You See Her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original first chapter of this was full of mistakes that show my proof reading needs work. That or I need to not have such a horrendous hiatus hit again. I've put the chapter title in for the first chapter and fixed up a comprehension issue, due to the fact Kasumi effectively splashed Ranma while literally no-one was looking.  
> Yes, to anyone who complained that there seemed to be moments where things happened without anyone seeing them, that is going to be a running theme with this story. During the next couple of chapters, I think you can probably guess what Kasumi is really doing with Ranko. Wax On, Wax Off.

Genma sighed. Several years before he'd gone off on his training trip with Ranma, he'd dealt with Soun's wife, and he felt like he was dealing with her again. A threat was worse when you couldn't react to it, and they were two of the worst threats he could think of, since he had never managed to act before she made her appearance, and sometimes… She didn't even appear in the first place, and those were the worst times. When Kasumi had splashed Ranma without anyone in the room noticing until Ranma's voice changed, and she was dealing with a suddenly wet shirt, he knew he was dealing with her successor. Which was why he was talking with Soun now.

"Why did you allow your daughters to dictate the terms by which the Tendo arrangement was to be dealt with?" Genma practically growled, "We did not raise him to become a weak girl almost all the time. What value does it have for the future?"

"Both Nabiki and Kasumi literally blindsided me. I was caught off guard by it all..." Soun stated, ignoring Genma's sexist bigotry as usual, knowing what was coming, "When Nabiki made that deal and, for the first time that I can remember, Kasumi made her presence known, the Tendo/Saotome arrangement fell out of our hands."

"Father, you may ignore his bigotry, but I won't..." Kasumi's voice stated, and they looked upon the brunette girl, dressed in a leather jacket and leggings, much unlike when she'd appeared earlier. Her tone, expression and attire all made it clear. She was not here to talk nicely. Soun had seen a similar ensemble on his wife once.

"What do you mean by this insolence!?" Genma began, for Kasumi to laugh, an oddly chilling sound.

"You have raised Ranma to be a reflection of yourself. He knows little about girls, about women..." Kasumi stated firmly, "You have raised him to see the woman as weak, to be dominated…"

"A woman's role is to be there for the man's gratification!" Genma huffed, Kasumi glaring.

"Father, I hope you do not agree..." Kasumi stated, Soun shaking his head, “My mother raised me with the belief that a woman’s place is to support their partner. She never implied I’d ever be in a relationship with one. Relationships are weaknesses that can be exploited...”

This really was dealing with her mother again for Genma. "So, What purpose does turning him into a girl have?" He asked, not quite as firmly as before, his conviction shaken.

"Because, Genma, She has to interact with girls, learn about their world..." Kasumi stated, abruptly right next to him, before, looking thoughtful, "Do either of you know someone named Nodoka? Or an Ukyo Kunoji?"

Genma went white. Not just because he'd not noticed her, but because of the fact she'd name dropped two people who he didn't want to have be brought into this little situation. It showed that she was definitely her mother's daughter. She had a way to ensure that, if Genma tried to force Ranma's victory, he would be the one who lost. She moved to stand, for Genma to cough. “Ahem,” He stated, “Before you go...”

"You have my attention..." Kasumi stated, "What do you want from me? I have got more than enough from you..."

"I need clarification on the rules, since they seem overly broad..." Genma blustered.

"Your… daughter, Ranko, as she is applied to the local school under, is to remain a girl except where, for example, hot or cold water is in close vicinity. In setting it up, I have made her out to be body shy and unwilling to communal bathe," Kasumi stated, "If she requires help with anything else, I will provide it, on the understanding that the request cannot be used to cheat at the challenge. For example, when she gets dressed, I will tidy up any rough spots, and I will be making my own schedule for her mornings to assist with that..."

"I understand that, but wouldn't working with you on something mean she is with you in a way that cannot escape notice?" Genma asked, for her to smirk.

"Please remember the escape clause. Working with me for one single day, Ranko becomes permanent. Also, the exact nature of noticing me… She must be the first person to reveal that I am currently within the room, to the other people in the room, in an activity that is not done with her or for her. Mealtimes would be very difficult if I was completely unnoticed..." Kasumi stated.

"That is a situation that has come up before..." Soun stated, "We all know she has to eat, and she prepares the meals anyway. It's the only reason I know I have a daughter some days..."

"Finally, Father, When you noticed Mother, she shared something with you," Kasumi stated, "This will be shared with Ranko, whether or not the challenge is successful,"

"So, Ranko will..." Soun asked, for Kasumi to nod, "That is more than acceptable,"

Genma however looked even more puzzled. What huge secret would be able to be covered in such vague terms? And why would it be applicable to Ranma as a girl? When he looked back towards where she was sat, she was already gone. He'd not even heard her leave. Oh, how he'd hated when Soun married.

Meanwhile, Ranma sat in the furo, thankful for the brief period of being a boy it gave him. This challenge was madness. On the surface, It was a simple challenge, but she'd covered most of the bases for reasons he didn't know. What kind of person was so secretive, their own family barely knew them? A basin of water later, and she looked at the girl that she'd be until Kasumi saw reason or this infernal challenge was over. This was not looking like it would be a fun challenge. As she walked out of the room, Kasumi caught her attention, helping her into her room, and getting out a black babydoll nightie from one of the drawers.

"This is..." Ranko began, for Kasumi to pinch her nose and sigh.

"Red would clash horrendously with your hair, while black goes with it perfectly. Over the style, I think we already covered why this is," Kasumi stated, "I do not want to be your enemy, I have different plans for how we will work together… Mutually beneficial plans..."

"So, Why have you set me up for a challenge to be a girl for a month?!" Ranko snapped.

"I cannot say much, only that the 'month' was to placate others in the room. The challenge has no actual end date..." Kasumi stated, placing the babydoll on the bed. Ranko sighed, and picked up the infernal lacy nightmare, and put it on, "What I will add is this… There are a lot of things your father is involved in that would make it better if you were to disappear..."

The following morning, Ranko was woken by Kasumi, who laid out a kimono for her to wear, Ranko looking at the time.

"Why are we getting up so early?" Ranko asked, slipping into the kimono with little fanfare. Kasumi frowned, but continued.

"I have some things that I need to deal with, and I do not trust your father. He was too inquisitive about the rules of the challenge, and I almost had to tell him forbidden information to get him to back off… Also, I hope for you to help me with the morning chores before school, completely separate from the exit clause, in that you will be given the choice to walk away," Kasumi stated, before she looked over Ranko, "Now, A lesson for you. It stands out too much, a poorly done outfit, and shows disrespect to the wearer and those around them,"

Kasumi took her into her room, adjusting the kimono before motioning to one of two cushions in front of a small shrine in the corner of the room.

"Sit with me at the shrine. Once you have learned to always wake up at the correct time, I expect to see you at that same spot each morning, in your kimono, waiting for me," Kasumi stated, before they both made their prayers, before she looked towards her, "Something important when you get to school today… I want you to never answer the teacher or bring attention to yourself, unless attention is brought to you. Let them see you attended, then, after that, you are not to let on that you're there… Watch and learn, but do not interact unless it is absolutely necessary..."

"Why?" Ranko asked, confused, as they arrived at the kitchen, not having noticed Kasumi guide her to the room, too focused on the odd request, woodenly helping her with the breakfast chores.

"The walls have eyes and ears, and they all seem to belong to Nabiki," Kasumi stated, her eyes moving to Ranko's hair, "And I have a perfect way to test how good you are at being discreet... This will be a two stage exercise..."

A few hours later, Ranko was heading towards Furinkan with her hair now in a shoulder-length french braid, the dragon's whisker weaved into it, Kasumi having perfectly timed removing and replacing it to allow her to make the perfect style.

"Way to make it hard to not stand out…" Ranko muttered, "But I will do it. Ranko Saotome doesn't give up..."

She arrived early, and headed inside, acknowledging the home room teacher as she sat down, who marked her as attending. When the first students filed in, that's when Ranko's school life went weird, as the complete opposite to what she'd expected occured...

Nabiki's teeth ground together as she looked at the reports from her various spies, realising that Kasumi had effectively been there first. Her fingerprints were all over the fact none of her operatives had seen any sign of Ranma, at all, all morning.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Nabiki stated as she looked at her two best operatives, "What do you mean by 'Are you sure she's here?'… She has freaking vibrant fire engine red hair, how can you miss it?"

"Well, That's the point..." The first of them offered, "We haven't actually seen anyone with red hair like you describe..."

Nabiki cursed as she rubbed her temples, nodding and wondering what was going on, and why she could hear her sister laughing at her expense. She'd missed Ranko heading for school, since she'd had an early breakfast, losing her chance to prepare the school for her arrival, or even get a good description, beyond 'bright red hair and standard Furinkan School girl's uniform', and now this?

"I checked attendance on what classes she'd be in... She's marked as attending, the teacher even said she was early..." The second one stated, "However, the teachers, and the rest of the class, can't for the foggiest remember what she looked like, or remember seeing her leave. She just blended into the normal noise of school life so well…"

Nabiki now remembered why she’d kept looking for Kasumi to ask her to help her out. The fact that she could do the shopping without anyone knowing which shops she went to, and apparently Ranko had learned, in one day, the same capability to befuddle one of the most well-oiled and efficient surveillance operations in the ward. It was aggravating for someone who prided themselves on knowing when someone sneezed wrong in the neighborhood, that her own sister was practically invisible even then.

Meanwhile, Ranma napped in the branches of a tree nearby. If Nabiki had known how close Ranma had been, she'd have probably had a nervous breakdown.

Tatewaki Kuno prided himself on being able to locate the most desirable girls in school and court them. So, when a general whisper started about another girl who was actively, and successfully, evading Nabiki Tendo's net, he tried hard to locate her. The problem was that he couldn't see anything out of place, anything new, anything which could suggest this new and desirable maiden...

"How could someone attend the school but completely and utterly avoid bringing attention to themselves?!" He exclaimed, bumping into a red haired girl.

"Maybe by not being so noticeable?" She offered, then walked off. As she did, Ranko smirked to herself as the boy completely and utterly missed the fact he'd collided with her. If this is what Kasumi's life was like, somehow, Ranko found herself more and more wanting to keep it, and going back to being Ranma, who reminded her, far too much, of the boy she'd just passed was becoming ever-increasingly less of a good idea.

A small voice reminded her of how she could, by simply doing Kasumi's chores with her, giving up on noticing her, but she couldn't do that yet. Ranma, or Ranko Saotome, didn't give up. So, instead, she had to keep going, until there was no option. A hard fought draw was better than a complete loss.

When Nabiki got home, the first thing she did was glare at the girl watching TV in the main room, especially the fact her hair was a very distinctive french braid now, that, if she’d been able to get a good picture of, she’d have had a much better chance of not being the laughing stock of the school. Oh, Kasumi had been practically laughing at her the entire time. Because she'd failed to get a good description, that one detail that could get her a bead on 'Ranko'… hadn't been given out, and she knew it.

She'd not just defeated her spies, she'd humiliated them by having a hairstyle that would stand out in practically all other situations. Even Kuno, who was almost always a good laugh, had been left completely ignorant of Ranma's presence, which also embarrassingly made him completely ignorant of Akane for the entire day. She lost thousands of yen due to that braid...

"How in blazes did you do it?" Nabiki growled, "Not in all my life have I ever been so humiliated..."

"Do what, pray tell?" Kasumi asked, Ranko not even trying to acknowledge her for Nabiki, who was too steamed to look her way.

"You two… You must have conspired against me…" Nabiki growled, "Such a pretty, distinctive and noticeable look, and… and..."

"You didn't see me for looking, did you?" Ranko offered sweetly. Oh, it was so a conspiracy.

Kasumi smiled. Oh, she knew Ranko was precariously balancing on ending up losing the challenge by her own choice. She just had to push her a touch further in the right way...

"Ran-chan, Is it so much better to not be the centre of attention, to be able to control where everyone is looking by the simple fact they're not looking at you, even when they look for you?" Kasumi asked, airily. Nabiki meanwhile wanted her sister to fail this task so much. She loathed not knowing something, and right now, she was furious.

As Ranko got into bed, she considered what Kasumi had said, and smiled. Yes, her father was ignoring her, and claiming whenever he did acknowledge her, that nothing good would come of Kasumi's challenge. But, right now, after one of the best school days she'd ever had, she had to say, as far as she was concerned, her father was full of it. Just by being quiet, unassuming and forgettable, she'd completely disappeared from everyone's notice. She then, blinking, realised that she knew Kasumi's secret, but didn't care, and even embraced the opportunity it gave...

No-one noticed the figure sat atop the Tendo home. Admittedly, When her mother was alive, no-one noticed her do it alongside her, and, when the inevitable happened, She hoped Ranko would be there, just as unnoticed, having already made sure that, going forward, Ranko would accept every bit of advice, every 'suggestion' as it was. A way to make her not 'disappear', but not 'appear' either.

"Lesson 1 completed. She successfully evaded notice by passive surveillance within a public place without leaving any trace of her passing or bringing attention to what she was doing. I will, tomorrow, upgrade it to active surveillance..." Kasumi stated to the cold night air, before sighing as she mused, "Mother, Is it alright if I find that I care about her as more than just a student?… and not as a boy, but a girl? She’s already pretty, but properly helped, she’ll be even better..."

She headed off with nary a sound to investigate the reports of strange property purchases, smirking to herself. Nabiki might claim to have the most extensive information network in Furinkan, but Kasumi… Without even trying, a pin couldn't drop without her hearing about it, because lips were oh so loose when they didn't know who was eavesdropping. The following morning, Kasumi woke to find Ranko already sat at the shrine, looking over her appreciatively. The kimono was worn better, making the contents eye-opening. She re-braided her hair, then they prayed for her mother. Yet again, they were finished and done before the house had fully woken up.

"Kasumi, Can you please make sure my... daughter is actually here?" Genma asked as she began breakfast, his tone almost a growl. She inwardly grimaced. She was bringing notice to herself in how much she was extending the obfuscation effect to Ranko's attitude, which was a risk to her half of the challenge, "She is at risk of becoming soft..."

"Your daughter managed to go through an entire day at school without being seen, heard or noticed..." Nabiki countered, "Only one person in this house can do that, and she's an expert,"

"Maybe he doesn't need a refresher in the Art..." Genma conceded, while noticing something else…

He'd not really seen his son-now-daughter since the challenge began. This could not stand! Genma even noticed a very deliberate arrangement of the seating, with Kasumi sat between him and his 'daughter', with a new braid that had replaced the rat-tail. If Nodoka saw her like that, and the right things were said, she’d be proud of her. Hearts would be broken if she wasn’t learning how to not be noticed.

"Don't shovel. Eat." Kasumi stated firmly, "I make food to be savoured, to be enjoyed. Not to be gone within moments, and digested without thought to the effort made..."

"Sorry, sempai..." Ranko stated, both Kasumi and Nabiki noticing the mirth dancing in her eyes. She'd done that deliberately. The fact that she easily slipped into a more sedate pace of eating suggested the scene was a play for one audience member, and Genma's angry glare suggested he'd been drawn in successfully. Once Ranko and Kasumi had literally disappeared, Ranko appearing ten minutes later in her school uniform, she took out an instant camera, handing it Nabiki. The resulting photographs were filed.

"One picture of me for you, and one for distribution..." Ranko stated, "Let's see how you do this time..."

Nabiki looked at the photograph, realising what Ranko meant. She'd given her a picture, which would mean her agents would know what to look for, but would still be keeping herself scarce.

"Lesson 2… Nabiki, you will attempt to, through the school day, take a single image of Ranko, other than the ones you have, that is of your usual quality. Your reward is one picture of myself," Kasumi stated, "I think Ranko knows what to do. Nothing different from yesterday."

Nabiki cursed. She could tell what Kasumi was doing. Why, she didn't know, but she'd just basically told Nabiki to turn her entire surveillance network on Ranko, and get just one image of her that could be easily identified as such, with Ranko continuing as she was. When she'd sat down and put the photograph down for her agents to see, she realised why. The previous day, her surveillance was passive, ignorant, not looking for something too out of place. Now, they all knew what to look for…

But Kasumi was going to prove that it wasn't a fluke. Hell, Kasumi had evaded having an attributable picture taken, as had her mother. She was mocking her just to give her that picture! And the fact she would give her a picture of herself in exchange…

It was so on...


	3. Endings And Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who has figured it out, good job. Have a cookie. Yes, this will be a Ranko/Kasumi pairing, and any reviewer try to tell me that Ranma is not an expert at bringing the attention of half the area to him, and, throughout the manga, was successful at, through his acceptance of challenges, keeping the attention on Him and Him alone. This whole story has Ranma on orders NOT to do so.

As soon as the challenge began, Nabiki knew she'd been played. While the picture was copied and distributed to her various assistants, and knew roughly where she _should_ be due to the class schedules, they'd failed miserably to get a good quality picture. She could try slipping a camera into one of her classes, but getting it without losing the camera would invariably give one of a quality that would not be able to be sold. She might sometimes sell a picture for 100 yen, due to framing issues, but to win the challenge, she had to get one of those that she sold for at least a thousand yen, which paid for the entire roll of film on their own.

What really annoyed her was when Kuno got a look at the picture, and gained a look of dawning realisation.

“That was the girl who evaded your surveillance?!” He stated, “I collided with her once on that first day, but… I have never seen her since. Is she still at the school?”

"Her class schedule is going for 250,000 yen, Not that it will do you any good..." Nabiki groused, clearly annoyed.

“Oh, how so?” Kuno asked, surprisingly thoughtful, but Nabiki presumed it was since he was hoping to get something.

“I’ve already got half my staff watching her classes, and she’s out of there before anyone can see she’s gone,” Nabiki declared, one of the few half-truths she’d said in a negotiation. Almost all her staff were hoping to get a picture of the redhead, but she blended so well into the general miasma of the school that the few times they might have seen her, they failed to get any kind of proof that it _was_ her.

At the same time, Ryoga Hibiki had a problem. It was a simple problem, and had been part of his life for as long as he could remember. He got lost easily, and things like a steady home had been denied him since it was a family curse. If any two members of the Hibiki family were in the same place at the same time, the universe would likely scream in terror. He did admit to himself that he had gained an unerring ability to find the Tendo dojo with surprising frequency, and Kasumi always seemed to have the couch ready for him to crash on.

"Excuse me, where is this?" He asked the redhead that was snoozing under a tree by a school.

"Furinkan High School," The girl stated, opening her suitcase and handing him a bento, "Ryoga Hibiki?"

"Yes... How do you know me?" He asked, surprised at the offered bento. He almost never could get lunch normally.

"Kasumi-sempai, Yes, that's right... Kasumi-sempai told me that when I saw you, to give you this." The girl offered, before walking off, and he smiled at her retreating form, that disappeared into the scenery in moments. Clearly, Kasumi-sempai referred to Kasumi Tendo, who somehow was always there with something for him to eat whenever he passed through the area.

He didn't even consider that the girl might be any relation to his wayward rival. He didn't even hear the girl mutter about how she'd make sure that they'd never meet as rivals _at all..._

The final person to pass by Furinkan High was Xian Pu, who was getting mildly annoyed. She was trying to locate Ranma, only to find that, somehow, despite all her efforts, she was getting nowhere fast. The way that he'd been when he defeated her had been loud, brash and should have made it a short and easy job to find him. Yet he'd vanished. Not just vanished, actually. It was like he had never been there to begin with.

"Grandmother..." She stated as Khu Lon hopped up next to her, noticing her apprehension, "Are you quite sure that the trail lead here?"

"We confirmed that the boy's father sent a postcard to this district, and this is the only school that he could possibly attend," Khu Lon offered, "Possibly they drowned doing some foolish training exercise..."

She sighed. "We will return to the village, and make our report to the other elders..." She offered, "To continue to pursue this would be expensive and difficult to warrant with the local embassy..."

They walked off, deciding that Ranma Saotome was another of those fools who thought the human body had no limits, and was not going to be found. In their case, the whole fact Ranko's hairstyle was so different meant they had no chance of recognising her anyway.

Ranko arrived home, falling into what had become her routine after becoming Kasumi’s personal project, heading upstairs and changing into her new kimono, she headed back downstairs for her father to look upon her disapprovingly.

"Ranma, What are you doing?" He asked, looking at her, "You're letting her dictate everything, and you are ignoring who you are..."

“Father, Is there a reason that everything about my life has to be according to your terms?” Ranko snapped back, “I do not like how much you seem to need absolute control...”

"You will begin training once more..." Genma snapped, "You are not some girl who hides herself from all the world..."

"What if I don't want the world to notice me?" Ranko offered in retort, “For all of my life until now, I’ve been someone you’ve sculpted in your image! Let me have some time to be me!”

She then paused, looking towards the kitchen. “Please remember, I have an escape clause. I may well let myself lose this challenge and let my mother know why...”

Genma sighed, and went to go play Shogi with Soun. He'd have to hope that something brought attention to Ranko, or everything would be lost. If she invoked the escape clause in the way she'd threatened, she'd not get it in the neck. Literally.

That evening, Ranko found herself being summoned to the roof, to see Kasumi there.

“You seriously want out on your father’s stupidity?” Kasumi stated, “This is more than just an exercise in not being noticed...”

“I know that, sensei...” Ranko replied, “It feels odd. I know who I was, but I feel more and more like Ranma is another person...”

Kasumi almost lost her balance at the way she’d referred to her. She outright had recognised that it wasn't just some guilty pleasure of her's. It actually all had a purpose. “I need you to go into the Cat Cafe that recently opened… Get this particular item. It’s a memory erasing shampoo,” Kasumi stated, “We may well need it before the month is over...”

“For who?” Ranko asked, “I may not like who I was, but I have things I want to remember… And I have a better idea...”

Genma woke up to find himself looking at a familiar old woman. “Care to present your son to me?” She asked, “We have business to attend to...”

Genma wasn’t sure how to put it, since his son was becoming more and more someone he didn’t recognise. “And if I cannot?”

“We have been unable to find his son. We will have to presume, as you thought, the child drowned,” Another amazon stated, “And he never did pay for his theft... and whatever he hoped to offer in return...”

Steel flashed, then justice, finally, found Genma. Nearby, two figures, dressed in matching attire, silently left, the compromise successful. News of Genma's execution reached the right ears, thanks to a comment made to Nabiki, and practically everyone who hoped to find Ranma... wouldn't.

When Soun woke up the following morning, he noticed there was no sign of ‘Ranko’ or Genma, and Nabiki was looking annoyed, especially when Ranma came out of the kitchen with Kasumi, not dressed in her school uniform.

“Genma went out to visit the wrong restaurant for a late night snack...” Kasumi stated, “Ranma will be staying home for today as she mourns...”

Once breakfast had finished, both Kasumi and Ranma vanished, presumably into the kitchen.

“As well as helps Kasumi with her duties...” Nabiki observed, thinking ‘A logical fallacy, but two things are definitely true. Genma is likely dead, and Ranma is, effectively, also dead. While they didn't say it, the challenge has already ended...'

In Kasumi’s bedroom, Ranko looked upon a set of weapons and clothing, the items she'd worn to Genma's execution.

“My mother was a practitioner of ninjitsu, and applied the tenets of it to her daily life, to the point that she was invisible to most people,” Kasumi stated, “If you wish to continue on this path, you will fade from the perception of others…”

Ranko nodded. “Already, no-one truly knows I exist...” Ranko stated, looking thoughtful, "What is the difference?"

“As you wish...” Kasumi replied.

Nothing changed about Ranko’s morning routine, outside of that she never attended school again. A discreet trip to the school records erased Ranko’s small amount of attendance. Akane and Soun quickly forgot Ranko, but Nabiki was stubborn in her insistence that Ranko had existed. When she found herself visited by a brown haired and a red haired figure in half masks and leather catsuits, she didn’t blink an eyelid.

“You wished to request our services a few years back?” the brunette asked, confirming it was her sister.

“A question first… Genma,” Nabiki stated.

“Tying up loose ends. He caused a diplomatic incident that was a problem...” the redhead stated, “He was dealt with equally diplomatically,”

Nabiki shuddered at how ‘diplomatic’ it was. The redhead tossed her a folder. Just from the first few items, she decided that no-one would be crying over his death. Nabiki went into Genma's room, taking anything of value, and started from the first entry in the folder. When she next met with them, she wasn't even a third of the way through.

"I need you to help dispose of another ongoing problem of the family. If you can end up with Grand Master Happosai delivered to justice, in a similar way to the last Saotome," Nabiki stated. Ranko whispered something to her sister.

"I have an offer for you. Ranko here proved it is possible," Kasumi stated, "When we are done, we will send Akane to an institution for deprogramming of her fear of men, and maybe some help with her anger issues, and Father to a retirement home,"

"With the death of the last of the Saotomes, Anything Goes would be permanently, and irrecoverably, rendered extinct..." Ranko stated.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Nabiki asked.

"You saw me," Kasumi offered, "So you must disappear..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Muse is a PITA. And not just since it wasn't working for several months.


End file.
